Chapter 14
Capitolium p. 205 Built under Hadrian, the Capitolum was built at the north end of the civic center. It may have been a replacement for a much earlier shrine that faced the temple of Roma and Augustus to the South. It stood on a very tall brick-faced concrete podium meant to elevate the colony’s chief temple above the neighboring apartment buildings. It was once paneled with marble but has since been stripped. Even the cella had a marble floor with a geometric pattern using colored marble. ' Theater p. 205-6' Built by Agrippa around 20 BCE, the theatre is made out of tufa and could sit 3,000 people. Commodus restored the theatre around 190 CE, modifying it so that it could seat 4,000 people. Both Domitian and Hadrian added architectural features to the theatre as well. The area behind the stage doubled as part of the theatre and an independent market. In the portico, mosaics on the ground depict sea creatures and the names of the some of the merchants that had offices there. ' Baths of Neptune p. 206-7' Built by Hadrian, the funds to build it came directly from the imperial treasury. Its layout was similar to that at Pompeii with the bathing chambers aligned on one side of a large palaestra, in contrast to the bilateral symmetry of Trajan or Titus. The baths take their name from a large mosaic depicting Neptune commanding 4 horses without a chariot. Its black-and-white tesserae are typical of second and third century mosaics in Ostia. Depictions of Neptune were popular anywhere water was concerned. The black figures harken back to black outlines on Greek vases. ' Horrea Epagathiana p. 207-8' This was an Ostian warehouse. Ostia was a port city and saw many goods and products come through its harbor, so warehouses were a practical feature to store the great volume of commodities coming through. It is named after the wealthy freedman who constructed the warehouse around 145 CE. Most of the doors had locks on them, indicating that the proprietors believed the wared goods to be very valuable. The entrance portal is a good example of Romans’ new taste for exposed brick. Continued respect for the Greek architecture is apparent in the Ostian portal, but so too is the transformation of Greek stone post-and-lintel construction into a new distinctly Roman style. ' Insula of Diana p. 208-9' It gets its name from a large terracotta plaque representing the goddess that was on display in the courtyard. Insulae were usually 3 to 5 stories high and featured ground-floor shops that opened onto the sidewalk. In general, the format was that the apartments got smaller the higher the floors. It was right down the street from the Capitolium. The apartments featured false balconies, perhaps for firefighters to access. It was a relatively upscale building, with a fountain and cistern in the courtyard. Cooking was done in the common corridor. ' Mars and Venus p. 214-5' A tomb portrait that depicted the man and woman as the deities Mars and Venus. The body types are based on the famous portraits of Ares and Aphrodite. The woman bears a remarkable resemblance to Faustina the Younger. It is another example of the persistent eclecticism and stylistic diversity of Roman art.